@shibamistress-I have a grown son and I love him very much. So I know about the parent-child bond. I don't think I would be able to bond with every dog the way I have with my Quake. It just so happened that I have such a strong bond with Quake--like a mother would have for her child.

I can see how the scientists could arrive at their conclusions... I think it varies by owners and dogs though... I've seen owners who definitely do not treat their dogs like kids, and I've met ones who plan their entire lives around whether or not little Fido's allergies will be well enough in time for them to come up for Christmas.

I planned on bringing a dog into my life for almost 6 years. My husband and I don't have kids - Nymeria is our little bundle of fur and happiness. Granted yes, she's not a kid, but at the end of the day, she's ours, and we love her, and we treat her for the most part (I still don't think it's legal to crate a kid) like we would a kid - we take her on play dates, bring her to puppy k, schedule her meals, make sure she sees her 'grandpawrents,' has the latest developmental toys, etc...

Granted had you told my mother 20 years ago that she would have a grandpuppy, she'd have called you nuts, but here she is mailing me dog toys that she thinks Nymeria would enjoy.

Canine and human interaction and our co-evolution is such an interesting thing that we're just now starting to really explore fully from a scientific POV.

But I also do think that the companion/guardian/owner relationship is different for everyone and every dog.